This invention relates generally to face seals, and in particular to face seal assemblies which divert liquid seepage away from bearing elements located adjacent the face seal members.
Prior art face seals of the kind having a stationary seal element and a rotatable seal element of widely used where a leak-proof connection of rotating components is required. While generally acceptable in their performance, these seal arrangements are known to seep a relatively small amount of liquid past the seal surfaces. Frequently these seals are located near bearing elements, which provide rotating support for the components to be sealed. If not controlled, the seepage can flush out, or otherwise contaminate the bearing lubricant, causing premature failure of the bearing element.
Some prior art approaches to controlling seepage such as found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,046--Golubev et at and U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,811--Richards, Jr. et al, have included arrangements for diverting seepage away from bearing elements, but these arrangements are complex and appear difficult to fabricate.